“Remember my name, fame!” These are the words that made singer and actressIrene Cara, who died last weekend at the age of 63, world famous in one fellswoop. Her music career stalled on that 1980 song and hit _Flash dance … WhatA Feeling. _But both hits were so big that her name will be remembered inmusic history.
Cara was close to being nothing more than a dancer in Fame. When producershear her voice, it is immediately clear that the female lead of the iconicmusical film can only go to one person: Irene Cara. The makers are so surethat they rewrite the film for her. So she eventually gets the role of CocoHernandez and sings the songs Fame and Out Here On My Own in the movie.
Resulting in great success. The number Fame , written by Michael Gore andDean Pitchford, becomes a big hit that has a long life. If two years after therelease of the film in 1982, a series is made that serves as a sequel, it willbe Fame also used for that soundtrack. And again the song rockets into thecharts of Europe.
Both Fame if Out Here On My Own are nominated for an Oscar for BestSoundtrack Song in 1981. It is the first time in the history of the filmawards that two songs from the same film by the same artist receive anomination. In the end, Cara wins the figurine with Fame.
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Flash dance… What A Feeling
After the success of Fame Cara focuses more on her acting career. Sheappears in such films as Sisters, sisters and Kill ’em Softly.
In 1983 Cara reached the peak of her musical career. She is then approached bydirector Adrien Lyne to co-write the soundtrack for the film _Flash dance._Cara is shown the final scene of the film and asked if she would like to singthe song, which still has no lyrics. “I said I would only do it if I couldalso co-write the song. They agreed and the rest is history,” she says in aninterview in 2018.
Cara enters the studio with producer Giorgio Moroder (best known for his workwith Donna Summer) and songwriter Keith Forsey. The number will be on paperwithin about four hours.
In the end, Cara doesn’t just meddle with the text of Flash dance … What AFeeling, but also with the melody. “I sang the melody the way I thought itshould sound. Giorgio is a fantastic composer, but he’s not a singer. Singershave to interpret the music with their own way of singing. And then sometimesyou have to adjust the melody a bit.”
The song became a number 1 hit in many parts of the world, including theUnited States. In 1983, Cara again won the Oscar for best soundtrack song.Years later it is Flash dance … What A Feeling still popular: the song hasamassed around 400 million streams on Spotify in various versions.
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Problems with record company
Unfortunately, Cara does not really enjoy her success. While the whole worldon _Flash dance … What A Feeling _dances, Cara is involved in a bitter battlewith her record company. “Outwardly things couldn’t seem to get any better,but at the same time I was busy suing my record company. Everything wasfalling apart and I had to pretend everything was going well.”
RSO Records, where Cara was signed at the time, is in dire straits when Caraachieves success. Many artists leave the label, but the singer gets no helpfrom her management or a lawyer. Cara on that in 2018: “I scored two of thebiggest hits of the decade and I didn’t get a dime.”
When Cara proceeds to sue the record executive, she becomes a persona nongrata in the music industry. Other record labels are warned, because Carawould be difficult to work with. As a result, she does not get the chance tobuild on her success and a new album is not released until 1987. She does actwith more regularity, but there are no really big successes there either.
Although it has remained with a few hits for Cara, she has two timelessclassics to her name. The singer, who rolled into the entertainment industryat a very young age through her parents, was especially happy for them withwhat she has achieved. “It was their dream for me and I fulfilled it.”